The Sad Story of Arthur
by The Railway Man
Summary: An adaptation of the original television stories by Paul Larson - Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
1. The Spotless Record

**THE SPOTLESS RECORD**

**An adaptation by J. Smith **

**Based on the original television story by Paul Larson**

**O**ccasionally, Duck will come down to help when mixed-traffic duties on the mainline during the summer. But with so many duties to attend to on his own branch line during the holiday season, he cannot always be on hand. His crew discussed the matter with the Fat Controller.

"Duck needs a rest", he said once he had heard their request, "I have a friend who works on the LMS. Maybe he will be able to help us"

The next day he wrote a letter - _"I need an engine that is both reliable and capable of handing light and heavy mainline duties"_, he wrote, _"I trust that I will be satisfied with the results"_

And indeed he was. The new arrival steamed swiftly through the countryside and arrived at the station before Brendan dockyard a few weeks later. The Fat Controller was waiting for him, along with Thomas and Percy, who had been called from the branch line to greet the guest.

"Here", he said, "Is Arthur. I am pleased to announce that he has been brought to our railway on loan from the LMS to stand in for Duck as a relief pilot on the mainline"

"Pleased to meet you", said Arthur – his voice was soft, yet polite. Thomas and Percy exchanged glances. The new arrival was the biggest tank engine they had ever seen. He had very smart burgundy paint, large pistons and a small funnel. He had an air of peace and warmth about him, with a distant hint of naivety.

"Of course, this arrangement is only temporary", the Fat Controller continued, turning to Arthur, "I doubt highly that we will experience any problems, as your controller says you are one of the most reliable engines he has ever owned"

"Thank you", Arthur blushed modestly, "He says I have a 'spotless record'"

"What's a 'spotless record'", whispered Percy to Thomas.

"It means", muttered Thomas, "That this fellow has never had an accident or made a mess before!" – Percy was impressed, but Thomas had his doubts. The Fat Controller had heard them, so he coughed and continued.

"Thomas and Percy, I would like you both to make Arthur feel welcome", he said to the two smaller engines, "Please show take him the dockyard and teach him 'our ways'"

The two engines agreed to do so, and lead the way to the docks. Arthur followed quietly along behind.

"Is it possible to have a spotless record?", whispered Percy as they came into the yard.

"We'll soon see", chuckled Thomas in response.

They arrived to find the sidings in a terrible mess. Thomas and Percy set to work at once, but they were feeling in a cheeky mood. They bumped the trucks hard and sent them screaming helplessly into one another. They knew that they were being naughty, but they didn't care – they were having too much fun. Arthur watched from a siding.

"Come on Arthur!", called Thomas, "Join in!"

"No thank you", Arthur called back politely.

Later that day, a special shipment of fruit arrived. It was to be taken to a beach market at Tidmouth Hault. Thomas shunted a line of vans into place alongside the dock, ready to be loaded with the important cargo. But the vans were in a troublesome statue of mind. They had had enough of Thomas and Percy bumping them.

"Come along now, no nonsense!", huffed Thomas in a lordly fashion. This made them cross, and they decided to annoy Thomas instead.

"_A root-toot-toe! We want to go! The fruit's going off coz' your too slow!"_

Arthur had been watching – "How rude!", he remarked in disgust.

"Yes indeed!", Thomas began, "They can be a handful if…" – and then, Thomas had an idea. He knew what the trucks were capable of, and he didn't want to have to put up with their tricks - "Er…would you mind taking these Arthur?", he asked sweetly, "It's just that I have a 'guaranteed connection' later, and I mustn't be late!"

Arthur was delighted to be of service – "Of course", he smiled.

"Remember", Thomas added, "Bump them if they misbehave. It is the only way to discipline trucks!"

Of course, Thomas knew very little about trucks – but Arthur didn't know this. He buffered up behind the vans and once they were loaded, he set off slowly out onto the mainline.

"That was easy", chuckled Thomas, "This should be a lark!" - and he scuttled away to continue shunting.

Sure enough, the trucks began their tricks as they rolled through the countryside.

"_Chuff-Chuff-Chug! Ya tug n' puff! But you're so rusty ya can't even puff!" _

"Stop singing!", snapped Arthur, "Trucks should do as they're told!", and he gave them a bump. The trucks were deeply offended. They shuttered and jolted over the crossing and whispered to one another.

"Who is he to order us about? We would pay Thomas out for bumping us, but we'll push him about instead - O_n! On! On!"_

Arthur soon found the task more difficult then he expected. The trucks caused all kinds of problems. They sang louder then before, and ignored him every time he told them to stop. They strained their couples and held back on hills. To make matters worse, one of the middle vans began to scream loudly as they approached Gordon's hill. They stopped the train beyond the signal box and the crew went to inspect.

"The axles on the middle van seem to have run hot", said the fireman, "We'll need to put the trouble right before we carry on"

Arthur began to worry – "Oh dear", he thought, "I hope we aren't too late!"

The driver went to speak to the man in charge at the signal box about the delay – "I'll see to right away", he promised and telephoned the next box down the line at once. When all was clear, Arthur set off again much less worried then before and charged at the hill.

Meanwhile, a few yards down on the other side, a goods train had been halted at a crossing. A lorry had swerved out of control and hit the gates causing a jam. A breakdown lorry had been summoned to the rescue, but it was taking a long time. The signalman at the next box after the hill was helping to clear the lorry's spilt cargo from the road when he suddenly remembered the call. He had received it moments before being called out by the rescue team.

"Bless me!", he gasped, "I should have remembered, there's another train coming. It must be stopped before there is an accident"

The guard of the goods train stepped forwards – "I'll go and flag them down", he promised, "There is work to be done here"

So he fetched his red flag from his van and ran back up the line towards the hill with the intent of flagging Arthur down – but he was too late. Arthur came steaming over the top with the trucks swaying in front of him. Their chance for trickery had come – _"On! On! On! Faster! Faster!"_

Arthur was struggling to hold them back with all the steam and strength he had left. He could feel the vans dragging him forwards as they began the decent – "Stop!", he cried. But his shouts were drowned out by the trucks.

Then they saw the guard. He was waving his flag beside the line and shouting as loud as he could to attract the driver's attention. The driver scrambled for the brake and applied it 'hard-on'. Arthur goggled in shock as his wheels locked and sparks began to fly, but the trucks were pulling with such force that just kept rolling along.

"Glory!", cried the fireman, "Look at that!"

The tail of the waiting goods train came into view. With little time to loose, the crew jumped clear. Arthur couldn't see a thing – "What's happening?", he cried in alarm, "Why are we braking?"

But the front van saw everything – "HORRORS!", it cried…

There was a splitting _CRASH_. Arthur felt the force of the collision as he ploughed forwards into the wreckage before coming to a final standstill. He didn't dare open his eyes, as he felt something soft and sticky trickle down his boiler. When he did open them, he found himself amongst the debris of broken trucks, splintered wood and squashed fruit. He was speechless.

To make matters worse, he was sitting upon the remains of the brake van, which groaned beneath him. Its brakes have been on, absorbing the force of the crash. Thankfully, the goods engine and its crew were not harmed. It had been forced forwards for a few miles by the impact but had stopped inches from the gate. Any closer and it could have been much worse, but Arthur felt very sad

"Oh dear", he sighed sadly, "Whatever will I do now?"

His spotless record was no longer spotless…

Thomas arrived pale-faced soon after with the Fat Controller on his footplate – "Whatever has happened here?", asked the manager as he stared in misbelieve at the handsome new tank engine, who now sat among a mournful wreckage, his shining burgundy paint now covered in a jam of squashed fruit.

"I'm sorry sir", Arthur began, "The trucks…"

But he was cut off mid sentence – "It was my fault sir"

The Fat Controller and Arthur looked to see that the words had come from Thomas. He was looking very ashamed of himself and was looking gravely down at his buffers. Arthur could only look on in silence.

"What are you saying Thomas?", asked the Fat Controller, "Arthur's crew tell me it is was the trucks…."

"But sir", Thomas spluttered, "I knew that the trucks would play their tricks in the first place. I was the one who bumped them and made them cross. I was the one who asked Arthur to take them instead of me…" – he trailed off.

The Fat Controller shook his head - "I might have known it", he muttered to himself, "Especially after news of a supposed 'guaranteed connection' met my ears. You've played one too many tricks today Thomas. You shall help to clear this mess" – Thomas knew he deserved his punishment, but the sight of Arthur looking so sad stung him with guilt. Neither spoke as Harvey arrived and helped to clear the mess. Thomas left with the unhurt trucks before he could be forced into helping Arthur home too – he had a lot to think about before they next meet.

That evening, Arthur stood at the wash-down having the squashed fruit cleaned from his bodywork. His front end had only received minor battering, but all the same, he felt unfit to be seen. Thomas rolled into the yard, and once he had taken a deep intake of air, he came up alongside.

"I'm terribly sorry about your accident Arthur", he said, "I should have known. I didn't mean to get you into trouble. Please forgive me"

Arthur looked away. He wanted to say something, but something within him prevented him from doing so.

"I understand, you have every right not to", Thomas went on feeling terribly uncomfortable, "But why not look on at it on the bright side? Maybe spotless records are meant to be broken…"

"You _don't_ understand", Arthur cut in with tears welling up in his eyes, "You don't understand at all. My clear record of reliably is what held my previous owners company up, because my brothers were all built to a poor design! Had it not been for me, my brothers and I would probably have been scrapped. I didn't want to see my master sad. When I left after the company closed at last, I promised myself that I would keep my record spotless from then on. I thought that by coming here I would be appreciated for what I've done, but it seems I was wrong"

Tears were now cascading down his face and splashing onto his buffer beam. The men cleaning him stood aside in respectful silence and looked away awkwardly as Thomas looked at the large tank engine in a mixture of shock and pity. At last he pulled himself together.

"Erm…well, just so that you know, erm…I didn't mean for you to be upset", Thomas spluttered, "I just hope you understand. I must go now and collect my…erm…" - and he scuttled away feeling very silly indeed. Arthur didn't say another word as the men returned to their scrubbing.


	2. Something Fishy

**SOMETHING FISHY**

**An adaptation by J. Smith **

**Based on the original television story by Paul Larson**

**T**he Fat Controller suggested that Arthur rested a few days before returning to work, but neither his crew would allow it - "We have come to help you sir", they said, "And that is what we shall do"

Arthur settled in nicely with the other engines. He swiftly earned the respect and curtsey of Gordon, Henry and James, and made good friends with Edward, Duck and Oliver. Occasionally, he would take goods trains down the branch line, where he would meet Percy and Toby – but he never spoke to Thomas once.

Thomas' crew, meanwhile, were ashamed of their engine, and thought he deserved a punishment. They spoke to an inspector about it, who forwarded their thoughts to the Fat Controller - "And I know just how to go about it", smiled the good manager, "Leave everything to me"

One evening, Arthur had finished his duties at the dockyard early, and was returning home along a different route. This was how they came to discover the fishing village, a quaint coastal town near the seaside famous for its little fishing port. Despite being a popular spot for tourists, this particular village is a vital link in the chain of fish traffic for the Fat Controller's railway. Fish boats and shrimpers bring their catch here, the men pack the fish into boxes and load it into a special train. This is then brought down to Brendan Docks, and transferred to Henry's train – The Flying Kipper.

As Arthur passed through spellbound, he noticed little rows of shops selling ice cream, chips and teas, beautiful little cottages, boathouses and bait shops. The fresh sea air cleared his smokebox and the sun would sparkle on the gentle waves in the quay.

"It's so peaceful", he sighed, "Wouldn't it be nice if we could work here all the time"

"You never know when a miracle is just around the corner", smiled his driver, "I heard from some workmen at the docks that the engine that usually runs along this route is retiring soon. They'll need an engine to take over permanently"

Arthur thought happily about it all the way home, but when he arrived back at Tidmouth sheds, he was surprised to find Thomas there too. He had been held back at the junction and had to spend the night before heading back in the morning. As soon as the two engines saw one another, they looked away uncomfortably. Arthur backed down on the opposite side of Percy. There was an awkward silence until the Fat Controller arrived.

"Very soon", he announced, "A vacancy for a permanent pilot on the fishing village route will be opening. I have been asked to select an engine that will be able to look after the line when the engine currently running it is retired in a week's time. This will be an advantage for us, as we will be able to boost our fish traffic. Do I have any volunteers?"

Thomas tried to back into the darkness of the sheds. Arthur on the hand forgot to feel awkward and beamed broadly. He wanted to step forward, but he felt very nervous about it. The Fat Controller pretended to ponder before making his decision…

"Thomas", he said at last, "You shall be the new fishing village pilot"

Thomas wrinkled his nose – "But sir!", he spluttered, "I don't like fish! They smell and…"

The Fat Controller ignored him and turned away – "Maybe it will teach you not to upset other engines for your own selfish needs"

Thomas feel silent and looked over at Arthur. But Arthur felt very sad. He had lost his opportunity. Both engines had a very restless night.

A few weeks later, Thomas grumbled away to the fishing village on the evening before the Flying Kipper's weekly run and Arthur was sent to take coal trucks to the steel works. He enjoyed himself, but he would have enjoyed working the fishing village route a lot more. When he returned late the following morning, he rolled into the yard to find Thomas talking to Emily.

"Do I smell a fishy engine?", chuckled Emily.

"Yes!", spluttered Thomas, "The Fat Controller knows I can't stand fish! He's doing this on purpose. Smelly fish! Smelly new line!"

Arthur backed slowly away – deep down, he felt sorry for Thomas!

The following week, the Flying Kipper was to depart again. Thomas clanked to the fishing village, seething with fury. He found the vans waiting for him, and the boxes of fish stacked high along the quayside.

"Hurry up!", he hissed to the men, "I'm a busy engine!"

"And an inpatient one too!", chuckled one of the fishermen, "Just enjoy the fresh smell of the fish!"

"Pooh!", Thomas retorted indignantly and sulked whilst the fish was loaded into the vans. When he finally pulled away, shunting the vans from behind, he was still grumbling dreadfully. He felt so 'put upon' that he forgot all about the points.

The men had warned Thomas to take care along the route. A difficult pair of faulty points lay ahead. They had been in need of repair for a long time. Engines had to go slowly over them so as to avoid accidents. Thomas was pushing from behind, and had to rely on the guard to warn him from the brake van in front. The guard saw the points and signalled to the driver with his arms.

"Okay Thomas", said the driver, and slowly closed the regulator. But Thomas wasn't trying. He was more determined to get the fishing task completed so that he could go back to the yard for a wash-down.

He felt a jolt as the vans rattled over the points and thought nothing of it, until quite unexpected; he veered off course and was diverted onto a siding. When Thomas saw where he was heading, he shut his eyes in shock – _"HORRORS!"_

Thomas shuddered helplessly along the pier, pushing barrels and tyres aside. One moment his wheels were on the rails – and the next they were not. Thomas squealed with discomfort as he landed with a SPLASH. He didn't dare open his eyes…

"He's fallen in the water!", laughed the trucks from above. The faulty points had kept them on the line, but sent Thomas the wrong way.

Thomas slowly opened his eyes and found that they were right. He was sitting, dazed and surprised in a merky tide-pool, perched upon some rocks. He was almost wheel deep in icy seawater. A small wave sprayed his side – "Brrr!", he shivered, "What a silly engine I am!"

His driver and fireman had jumped clear – "Yes indeed!", they snapped, "We warned you to take care, but you were too impatient. You can stay there until we are ready to 'fish' you out!"

"But in the meantime", interrupted the guard, "We must concentrate on getting this fish to the docks!"

When the Fat Controller received the telephone call he didn't know whether to be ashamed or amused – "Thomas is in a tide-pool? Leave him there for a while. It'll teach him not to be impatient and to obey orders. We'll worry about him later. Send Arthur to bring the fish instead"

And so it was arranged. The message reached Arthur at the goods yard just down the line. But when he learnt that Thomas was in trouble, he was rather reluctant to go – "Come on fella!", said his driver, "If the fish doesn't get to the docks in time it may rot. And that'll never do!"

"Yes indeed!", said Arthur with determination, and once his fire was burning nicely, he set off along the fishing village route. By the time he arrived, the fish was indeed beginning to rot away in the scorching sun. Thomas was feeling his position deeply, but when he saw Arthur he thought him the most splendid sight he had ever seen.

"Are you alright Thomas?", Arthur called.

"Arthur! I'm so glad you've come", whimpered Thomas.

"What'll we do about Thomas?", asked Arthur's driver.

"Don't worry about him!", answered Thomas' fireman, "We'd appreciate it more if this fish were delivered on time"

They wasted no further time. Arthur was coupled to the vans and without a moment to loose, he steamed swiftly away bunker first. The scorching sun was burning, but Arthur had plenty of steam as he clattered along the coastal route and on to the docks. Sure enough, they pulled in with time to spare just as Henry pulled backed down onto the Flying Kipper.

"I've made it!", sighed Arthur.

"Welldone youngster", Henry winked, "You did a splendid job, and in style too. Maybe you should take over the route instead of Thomas. It makes sense of have an engine do a job that they enjoy"

Arthur blushed, and then remembered Thomas. He fetched a crane and returned to the tidal-pool as evening drew on. The tide was beginning to come in, and Thomas was shivering from the cold. The water had washed onto his footplate and put out his fire. By the time he was back on the rails, his side littered with seaweed, he found his wheels were too cold and stiff to move. So Arthur pulled him to the works on a flat truck.

"Thank for saving me Arthur", sighed Thomas, "I don't know what I would have done if the tide had come in fully"

Arthur laughed - "It is I who should be thanking you!"

"Whatever for?", asked Thomas.

Arthur told him all about his love for the fishing village, and how ever since he discovered it, he had dreamt of running the route permanently.

"You like fish?", spluttered Thomas in disbelief.

"Yes indeed!", smiled Arthur, "Why? Don't you?"

"Most certainly not!", Thomas pouted, "They're smelly and awkward things!" – and he went on to tell Arthur all about the time he had gone fishing and how some fish had gotten into his tank. The pair were soon laughing and joking like old friends. By the time they arrived back at the works, Thomas had realised something…

"Say", he said to Arthur once he was lowered to the rails, "Why don't you ask the Fat Controller if you can take over from me as the permanent pilot of the fishing route? I don't like fish at all. It makes sense if you were take my place"

Arthur had much to think about.

Thomas had damaged his side-rods, and repairs were scheduled to take a few weeks. The Fat Controller was concerned, but satisfied that the naughty little engine had been taught a lesson. But there was still the problem of finding a pilot for the fishing village. He spoke to Thomas' crew – who told him something very interesting…

He visited the sheds a few nights later - "With Thomas out of service", he explained, "Another engine will have to take his place as pilot for the fishing village route…"

Emily and Murdoch grinned and looked skyward. Arthur perked up immediately.

"Excuse me sir…", he began.

"…and", the Fat Controller continued as if nothing had happened, "I have decided to give Arthur a chance at running it permanently"

There was a chorus of whistles and cheers as Arthur was struck with silent joy. At last he pulled himself together – "Thank you very much sir", he stuttered, "But wasn't my service only temporary? Won't I have to go back home soon?"

"Not now", smiled the Fat Controller, "I've spoken to your controller and he says that you need a change. You are welcome to stay, as long as your crew agree. The men down at the port have promised to build you a shed by the quay. Salty says he will be happy to come down the line and give you a hand freighting the fish to the docks if need be…"

But he didn't even finish his sentence, for the shed had erupted with the sound of joyous whistling. Arthur whistled loudest of all – for at last, he had found a true home on the Island of Sodor.

Arthur is now a permanent pilot at the fishing village. He brings the catch down to the docks every other day and when he is not busy, he often helps with shipping operations at the docks. He is never lonely, and has made many new friends since being given his new job. Salty and Harvey occasionally visit him and bring the news – but Thomas often beats them to it.

And of course, he is always careful when crossing faulty points!


End file.
